San Miguel Beer summoned its championship form at the right moment, dismantling NorthPort, 126-91, on Sunday, June 15, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo to clinch the No. 1 seed heading into the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals.

Despite playing limited minutes, CJ Perez led the offensive outburst with 24 points and five rebounds, setting the tone early with 11 points in the first quarter alone. The 29-time champions never looked back after a 6-all tie and built as much as a 111-74 lead before closing out a dominant wire-to-wire win.

SMB finished the elimination round with an 8-3 record, tying NLEX and Magnolia but earning the top seeding via superior quotient. The crucial victory gave the Beermen a win-once advantage in the quarterfinals against No. 8 seed Meralco, with the knockout clash set for Wednesday.

Austria: We treated it like a playoff series

Beermen coach Leo Austria praised his team’s urgency and mindset, knowing full well the stakes of a potential drop in the standings:

“I think the desperation that we have… this game is very important for us,” said Austria. “We treated this game as the start of a best-of-three. Nakaisa na kami, and we need one game in the quarterfinals to get to the semifinals.”

Jericho Cruz and Don Trollano chipped in 17 points each, while June Mar Fajardo added a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds as part of a balanced attack that saw six Beermen score in double figures.

NorthPort’s struggles continue

On the opposite end, NorthPort dropped to 2-9 and 11th place, ending its Philippine Cup campaign on a sour note. After a surprise semifinal run in the Commissioner’s Cup, the Batang Pier struggled through roster changes and failed to regain their earlier momentum.

Joshua Munzon led NorthPort with 19 points, while Cade Flores posted a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. But their early 6-all tie was the last glimpse of competitiveness, as San Miguel’s firepower quickly overwhelmed them.

Now armed with top seeding and renewed confidence, San Miguel Beer heads into the playoffs aiming to reclaim the crown it missed last conference.